History & Tradition

Gold Club Tours were founded by Karl Petrie. His professional experience in tourism dates back to 1993, and his family have operated tours for many decades. As early as the 1930’s his great grandfather Tony (the elder) Petrie operated tours to the Waitakere Ranges. His father Tony (the younger!) Petrie founded Sunbeam Tours in 1975. Sunbeam Tours coach tour operations were sold in 2000 to APT (Australian Pacific Tours) and Tony changed the company name to Renaissance Tours. Tony continues to this day to be one of the lead cruise ship tour operators in New Zealand, operating Renaissance Tours, which has serviced cruiselines such as Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises Crystal Cruises & Azamara Club Cruises.

Gold Club Tours continues to carry the weight of experience and knowledge of the founder Karl Petrie’s family having been heavily involved with organizing and operating some of New Zealand’s most famous coach tours offering competitive, high quality tours for every budget.

Don’t hesitate to call our friendly and professional staff if you have questions about any of our tours. We look forward to having the pleasure of showing you the very best of New Zealand.